This collects my posts about my time in Kyrgyzstan
It’s the end of the month, and as a part of a new blogging and photography goal I’ve set for myself with BloggingAbroad, I’ve been taking photos based on prompts (and just from life in general), and I wanted to share a few with you! Take a look, read about it, and click to enlarge if you want to see more closely. Continue reading “July 2016 Photo Roundup”
Here’s an awesome post from my colleague Colleen about a traditional Kyrgyz dance, the Kara Jorgo. At times it feels like a cultural phenomenon akin to the Macarena, but its roots run really deep. Take a read and a look at the dancing over at her amazing blog, Prekrasno, and follow her!
Back in December, at my HIV/AIDS Stigma Reduction Training, a crowd descended upon me as we finished the training. These women were the heads of the regional Health Promotion Units (HPUs) around Osh Oblast. Each was hoping to meet me to find out if I could come give additional trainings at their respective clinics for them and their staff.
After four months trying to get it off the ground, I’m happy to say that the project is moving fast, and we’ve already done two full-scale day-long trainings, with more to come as we move on. Today I’ll walk us through the project from its genesis, focusing on the most recent training, and how we’re modifying it moving forward. Continue reading “A Traveling TOT in Chong Alay”
Every language and culture has its own way of describing tastes and flavors, some simpler or more complex than others, and some structured quite differently than others. In Kyrgyz, rather than describing food in terms based on the parts of the tongue that taste the different flavors, or with individual words for specific attributes, taste is broadly described in three main groups. Continue reading “Language Lessons: Taste”
Continuing my series on the national symbols of Kyrgyzstan (the flag, yurts, and hats among other subjects), let’s learn about a musical part of Kyrgyzstan: its national anthem, or “National Hymn” to translate the title a bit more literally. Continue reading “The National Hymn of the Kyrgyz Republic”
I have talked a little about a few projects I’m doing so far, but a lot of my stories have lacked some context. Today I want to explain to you how Kyrgyzstan’s health system works, what Health Promotion is, and how my work and my fellow volunteers’ work fits into this structure. Continue reading “Kyrgyzstan’s Health Promotion System”
So, based on reader feedback, I got a bit ahead of myself by jumping deep into grammar before actually, you know, explaining how to read. So today, I’m going to walk you through standard Cyrillic, and the modified versions used to write the different languages seen here in Kyrgyzstan! Continue reading “Language Lessons: Reading And Cursive”
I’m really excited to share with you a short Kyrgyz film that is taking the short film circuit by storm this year. It’s called Seide, and it was written, directed, and produced by the incomparable Elnura Osmonalieva, a FLEX alumnus and current NYU MFA student who has a true gift for stunning visual storytelling. Let’s take a look. Continue reading “Kyrgyzstani Movie Night: Seide”
It’s the end of the month, and as a part of a new blogging and photography goal I’ve set for myself with BloggingAbroad, I’ve been taking photos based on prompts (and just from life in general), and I wanted to share a few with you! Take a look, read about it, and click to enlarge if you want to see more closely. Continue reading “June 2016 Photo Roundup”
June has been a busy month work-wise, even though I feel sometimes like I’m not doing a whole lot at the same time. This is sort of a hallmark of the Peace Corps – so many of us are so driven, that even though blogging, teaching, and helping your organization is work, there is not enough work to fill the day to the levels we are accustomed in the US. But despite that feeling, quite a lot happened! Continue reading “Mile 14: Trainings And Travel”
